Media group agrees Ireland Today namechange

An Irish media group today agreed not to call its planned newspaper Ireland Today.

The Andersonstown News Group gave undertakings at Dublin’s High Court that it would not publish the paper under the names Ireland Today or Today.

An application for an injunction against the publication of the newspaper named Ireland Today had earlier been dropped.

Senior Counsel Brian O’Moore told the court that it was only through information handed over at the 11th hour that an application for an injunction against the use of the name Ireland Today could be halted.

The Andersonstown News Group had become embroiled in a legal battle with News UK, a subsidiary of News International, after it launched the newspaper at an event in Belfast several weeks ago.

Under the working title, Ireland Today, the publication was billed as a paper for the island of Ireland, and aimed specifically at people living in the nine counties of Ulster and several border counties.

Judge Peter Kelly said: “It now appears clear through counsel that the fourth named defendant (Ireland Today Limited) is prepared to give an undertaking to the court that its servants or agents will not infringe on the title Ireland Today.”

The judge added that Andersonstown News Group had undertaken in clear and unequivocal terms that they had no intentions to publish a paper under the title Ireland Today or Today.

The matter of costs was adjourned until a later date.

Mairtin O’Muilleoir, managing editor of The Andersonstown News, said good progress had been made over the naming of the new daily newspaper, and plans were still being made for the new venture.